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G8 Working Group on HIV/AIDS &ndash; Global Unions Increase Pressure 
 
On 28 February, Global Unions launched an HIV/AIDS Campaign to convince Heads of State at the G8 Summit in Russia in July to create a permanent high-level G8 working group on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Alan Leather, Chair of the HIV/AIDS Global Unions Steering Committee, called on national union bodies in G8 countries to deliver letters to their Head of State and on unions the world over to deliver such letter calling for the establishment of a Working Group to the G8 government embassies in their country. This action forms part of the overall work of the Trade Union Advisory Group of the OECD (TUAC) and the Global Unions to influence the G8 outcome next July, which will focus on energy security, education and health issues. 
 
For more details see the Global Unions statement at <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_8.EN.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_8.EN.pdf</a>. The draft letter for unions in G8 countries to their Heads of State is provided at <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_7.EN.rtf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_7.EN.rtf</a>&nbsp;as well as 7a, b and c for the respective country groups to deliver letters to the embassies. 
 
The Kenya Plantations and Agricultural Workers&rsquo; Union became the first union to join the campaign by delivering a letter to the British High Commissioner in Nairobi. The union told the High Commissioner that a permanent working group was needed to guarantee progress on the commitments made by governments at the Gleneagles G8 Summit last year to achieve universal access to treatment by 2010 and to further the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. 
 
Focus on Women 
 
On International Women&rsquo;s Day, 8 March, ILOAIDS emphasised that there is more and more evidence about the susceptibility of women and girls to HIV transmission due to both gender inequalities and biological differences between men and women: 60 percent of new HIV infections occur to women, with even higher proportions for women under 25 years. 
 
The ILO drew attention to the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. Principle 3 of the Code states, &ldquo;The gender dimension of HIV/AIDS should be recognised. Women are more likely infected and more often adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic than men due to biological, socio-cultural and economic reasons. The greater the gender discrimination in societies and the lower the position of women, the more negatively they are affected. Therefore, more equal gender relations and the empowerment of women are vital to successfully prevent the spread of HIV infection and enable women to cope with HIV/AIDS&rdquo;. (Source: ILOAIDS Website) 
 
The joint WHO/UNAIDS report (see below) states, &ldquo;While the report found no systematic bias against women in (antiretroviral treatment) ART access, rates of coverage for women varied. In some countries, more women receive treatment; in others, more men.&quot;
&quot;One notable area of concern is access to therapy to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, which remains unacceptably low. Between 2003 and 2005, fewer than 10% of HIV-positive pregnant women received antiretroviral prophylaxis before or during childbirth. As a result, 1800 infants were born with HIV every day. Each year, over 570 000 children under the age of 15 die of AIDS, most having acquired HIV from their mothers. In 2005, 660 000 children under the age of 15 were in need of immediate ART, representing more than 10% of unmet global need. Nine out of ten children needing treatment live in sub-Saharan Africa.&rdquo; (Source: WHO/UNAIDS News Release, 28 March 2006) 
 
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women and girls in Africa, necessitating a new U.N. agency to focus specifically on women and HIV/AIDS, U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis said at a news conference on 17 March. 
Lewis, who had just returned from a trip to Lesotho and Swaziland, said a recent government study shows that 56% of pregnant women in Swaziland between ages 25 and 29 are living with HIV/AIDS and that about 30% of 15- to 17-year-old girls in Lesotho are living with the disease. An estimated 43% of HIV-positive people ages 15 to 49 in Lesotho are men, and about 57% are women. 
The rate of HIV-positive women in Swaziland is &quot;the highest prevalence I have ever encountered in the last five years,&quot; Lewis said. He added, &quot;What has happened to women is such a gross and palpable violation of human rights that the funding must be found,&quot; saying that a well-funded and influential agency targeting women would reduce the HIV prevalence within the group. (Source: Reuters Canada, 17 March 2006) 
 
 
WHO-UNAIDS: 3 by 5 Initiatives Short of Target 
 
A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the number of people on HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low- and middle-income countries more than tripled to 1.3 million in December 2005 from 400 000 in December 2003. 
Charting the final progress of the &quot;3 by 5&quot; strategy to expand access to HIV therapy in the developing world, the report also says that the lessons learned in the last two years provide a foundation for global efforts now underway to provide universal access to HIV treatment by 2010. 
Progress in treatment scale-up, while substantial, was less than initially hoped. (Reminder: &ldquo;3 by 5&rdquo; stands for treatment for 3 million infected persons by the end of 2005). The report notes, however, that treatment access expanded in every region of the world during the &ldquo;3 by 5&rdquo; initiative, with approximately 50 000 additional people beginning ART every month in the past year. 
Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most severely impacted, led the scale-up effort, with the number of people receiving HIV treatment there increasing more than eight-fold to 810 000 from 100 000 in the two-year period. By the end of 2005, more than half of all people receiving HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries resided in sub-Saharan Africa, up from one-quarter two years earlier. 
In July 2005, the G8 nations endorsed a goal of working with WHO and UNAIDS to develop an essential package of HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of moving as close as possible to universal access to treatment by 2010, a target subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2005. 
The new WHO/UNAIDS report outlines a number of steps that must be taken to continue and expand treatment scale up toward achieving this goal. 
 
(Source: Joint News Release WHO/UNAIDS, 28 March 2006. The full report can be accessed on the WHO and UNAIDS websites <a href="http://www.who.int">www.who.int</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>&nbsp;). 
 
 
East Asia and Pacific Conference Focuses on Children 
 
An estimated 1.5 million children in the Asia-Pacific region have lost one or both parents; 121,000 children are HIV positive and about 35,000 children in the region are in need of antiretroviral treatment. These were the stark figures, which confronted delegates at a three-day conference in Hanoi in March. 
 
The first high-level conference, concentrating solely on children, discussed how to intensify prevention efforts, upscale treatment and eliminate mother-to child transmission. Support groups for kids infected by the virus, or who have lost parents to AIDS, must also be created. 
(Source: Posted on <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a>&nbsp;on 24 March and Borneo Bulletin, Brunei, 23 March 2006) 
 
 
Reductions in Drug Prices 
 
Hardly a week goes by without news that that the price of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) is coming down and more multinational pharmaceutical companies agree to license their drugs for the production of generics. While the efforts of individual companies are appreciated, a more coordinated and comprehensive approach is called for. UNAIDS noted that further price cuts were needed to achieve universal access to ARVs by 2010. 
 
In Nigeria, efforts are being made with the help of Evans Medical, a UK-based pharmaceutical company, to bring treatment to 250,000 infected persons. These ARVs are locally manufactured and would thus help to ensure availability and affordability. An estimated 3.6 million Nigerians are currently infected; many of them need treatment but very few receive it. 
There are only 50 ARV treatment sites in Africa&rsquo;s most populous country and only approximately 17,000 patients receive consistent aid. In early March, Merck announced a 20-percent reduction of its ARV Stocrin to patients in developing countries. 
 
Critics of price cuts claim that even with the reduction, the majority of patients in third-world countries lack the financial ability to afford such medication. In lieu of further reductions, the alternative is to make cheaply priced generics more widespread. 
In the March e-bulletin, we reported on a deal between Bristol-Myers Squibb and two generic drug makers (Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa and Emcure Pharmaceuticals in India) to make its second-line ARV available at lower cost. Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company signed a similar agreement licensing its second-line ARV for generic production and marketing in sub-Saharan Africa. 
These are important developments as patients often become resistant to first-line drugs within a year and must change to second-line therapies, which, so far, have been up to ten times more expensive. 
 
 
HIV/AIDS Menace in Indian Call Centres 
 
A study on sexual attitudes and practice of employees in call centres and business-process-outsourcing firms found that there is an alarming rise in the percentage of respondents who have multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex &ndash; as opposed to an earlier study of the general population. 
 
The boom in IT-related outsourced industries has challenged traditional society and has created social conditions and new life-style practices among upward-mobile workers that can promote HIV transmission. The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) has launched its HIV/AIDS Call Centre Initiative, which includes a comprehensive prevention programme and access to testing and support services. 
 
Although the prevalence rate in India is still relatively low, in a population of over one billion that translates into more than five million Indians being HIV positive. 
(Source: Press Release of the GBC, 20 March on <a href="http://www.businessfightsaids.org">www.businessfightsaids.org</a>&nbsp;and various Indian newspapers) 
 
 
News from the Global Fund 
 
Dr. Robert Feachem, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), has announced that he will leave his position when his current contract expires on 15 July, or as soon thereafter as a successor can be put in place. Feachem will be remembered as the man who took the Global Fund from dream to reality. 
When he started, the Global Fund had only a dozen staff, and it had not signed a single grant agreement or disbursed a single dollar. Nearly four years later, it has 200 staff, it has signed 390 grant agreements worth USD 3.6 billion and it has disbursed over USD 2 billion. 
 
As of 5 March, funds contributed and pledged to the Fund by donors totalled USD 8.5 billion of which nearly USD 5 billion had actually been received. For Round 1 to 5, grants nearly USD 5 billion have been approved and more than USD 2 billion has been disbursed to principal recipients. The rest of the funds pledged has been committed already. 
It is therefore not clear when a call for proposals for Round 6 will be made, as at present there is no money to pay for new grants. Thus there is a real threat that Round 6 grants will not be approved well into 2007. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 55 of 5 March 2006) 
 
Note: The Global Fund Observer is an independent source of news, analysis and commentary about the GFATM. To receive it you can send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. The subject line and text can be left blank. 
 
 
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a>&nbsp;and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1729">/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1729</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 7

ネパール王政権の国際社会からのプレッシャー回避の試み 
ネパールのギャネンドラ国王は先週末に民主化に向けてすべての政党と対話をしたいとの声明を出したが、政府が拘束している労働組合活動家や政治家すべてを釈放しない限り、徒労の公約となる。国王は昨日（2月19日）ますます大きくなっている国際社会からのプレッシャーと、民主化を求める国内の勢力拡大を逸らすため、7政党連合を形成し、膠着状態の民主化プロセスを出来るだけ速くフルに活性化したいと表明し、予想外の展開を見せた。 
基本的人権を一時停止させた独裁政権が誕生1年目を迎え、王権に対する3000人規模の穏やかな抗議デモを実施する前日に、ネパール王は初めて国民に向けた声明を国営新聞に発表した。告訴状なしに拘束されているGEFONTとNTUCの組合幹部全員と他の人権問題活動家すべてが釈放されない限り、ギャネンドラ国王の美辞麗句は意味がない、とICEMは確信する。先週、数週間拘束された後、労働組合活動家数名が釈放されたが、上述の2つのナショナルセンターのリーダーと教員組合のリーダー数名はまだ拘束されたままである。 
GEFONT、NTUC 及びもう一つのナショナルセンターであるDECONTは、2月13日、政府に対し35日以内にフォーマルセクター及びインフォーマルセクターについてILO労働局の憲章にしたがって対応するよう要求した。ILOの憲章は、賃金値上げに関する労働法の強化、総合的社会保険基金制度の採用、基本的労働組合権に関するコミットメントの策定、特に女性に対する非差別行動慣行の実施を政府に求めている。 
 
世界の労働組合、バス運転手に対するイランの抑圧政策を非難 
世界の労働組合は、2月15日、テヘラン及びその周辺地域で働くバス運転手に対するイラン政府の抑圧政策を非難した。非難したのはGUF諸組織、各国ナショナルセンター、ICFTUばかりではなく、ヨルダン、エジプト、イラク、モロッコ及びチュニジアの運輸労組や石油労組も強い言葉で非難した。北アフリカや中近東諸国の鉄道労組や海員/港湾労組もイランのバス運転手を支援する目的で組織されたアクションデーに参加した。 
イラン情報省と治安警備隊「バシジ」は、未払い賃金の支払いを要求してストライキに入った運転手のストを潰す目的で2005年の春から警備隊を導入した。12月以降、イラン政府は様々な方法で運転手の抗議行動を抑えるため、抑圧政策をさらに強化した。1月28日、30人の運転手が重傷を負い、デモに参加した1400人が逮捕された。数日後、逮捕された運転手の家族や配偶者がイランの議会「マジレス」前に集まったが、ここにも治安警備隊が導入された。 
12月22日に政府はテヘラン及びテヘラン郊外のバス会社の労働組合幹部役員を逮捕したが、同労組のリーダーであるマンスール・オサンローは今も拘留されている。イランの治安警備隊はバスの運転手に対して暴力という手段を用いて強制的にバスの運行に就かそうとした。このため労働者はイラン政府当局の暴力的弾圧に抗議し、ライトを付けてバスを走らせ続けている。 
ICEMは2月15日のアクションデーに強い言葉の抗議文をイラン政府に送った。この抗議文は次のサイトを参照された。
<a href="/index.php?id=24&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1658">/index.php?id=24&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1658</a>. 

 
ICEM 、SINAP-CUTの闘争を支援 
ICEMはブラジルのマランハオ州のSINAP-CUT労組の闘争を支援している。ブラジルの企業グループ「ジョアオ・サントス」は、労働組合への通告なしに、また労働組合と対話することを拒否したうえで、先月、ブラジル北部の辺ぴな街コエルホネトのグループ製紙会社Itapag&eacute; SA及び農業関連企業Agrimex SAの227人の労働者を解雇した。グループ・ジョアオ・サントスは、労働者に支払うべき社会保険料を拒否し、さらに労働者の解雇がコレスホネトにもたらす経済困難について認めることをも拒否した。 
グループ・ジョアオ・サントスはこの片田舎のフォーマルセクターの90％の雇用機会を提供しているとともに、この町とその周辺地域の９０％の土地を所有している。労働者とその家族は、ICEM加盟労組のSINAP-CUTと農業労組の支援を受けてコレスホネトの会社事務所前にキャンプを設営した。このキャンプに寝泊りしている人々に、会社側が要請した機動隊が脅しをかけた。労働者と組合は、グループ・ジョアオ・サントスに対し地域社会に土地を返還すること、町の学校と学校職員の雇用を維持すること、2005年11月現在の雇用レベルで労働者を再雇用することを要求した。 
ICEM は労働者の要求を支持するとともに、ブラジルのシルバ大統領、労働・雇用大臣、労働基準局審議官に宛てた書簡の中で労働者に対する支持を表明した。 
 
ザンビア電力送配電公社、エネルギー労組に報復 
ICEM加盟労組の全国エネルギー関連産業労組 (NESAWU)は、ザンビア国営電力送配電公社（ZESCO）の経営の失策を明るみに出したため、経営側から報復と抑圧を受けている。ZESCOは同労組のピーター・チュパ会長及び支部労組の幹部ら数人を解雇し、ヨタム･マタヤチャロ書記長の組合専任職を解任した。 
昨年の初めからZESCOは賃金の支払が数ヶ月遅れていたが、最近になって高い利子がつく当座借越と言う手段で賃金を支払った。また、ZESCOは労働者の年金保険料の振込みを怠った。2005年4月20日には、当該公社は未払い賃金と公社取締役代表の退任を求めてNESAWUが1週間ストを行使したため、組合側と締結していた組合認知合意書を破棄した。公社側の報復手段はその後ことさら強くなった。 
今年初めにカフエゴージュ電力発電所の新設発電所で働く日雇い労働者が低賃金と賃金支払いの遅れに抗議してストした時、当該エネルギー労組はこれらの労働者を支援した。これに対し、ZESCOはストライキを指導した３０人を仕事からはずすという手段で対抗した。１月１０日、ZESCOの新取締役代表を選出する取締役会議に出席しようとしたチュパ会長は、40人あまりの警察官らに入室を阻止された。しかし、現取締役代表は会議を通常通り進行させ、退任する意思をまったく示さなかった。ZESCOは装置やインフラに十分な設備投資をしなかったため、 停電や変電器の不具合が起き、とくに一般家庭の停電などの問題が出ている。 
 
ニュージーランドの電力争議斡旋が再開 
ニュージーランドの地方電力会社トップエネルギーの労働者を代表するエンジニアリング印刷及び製造業労組（EPMU）の５８名の組合員のロックアウト問題の解決に向けて、今日、仲介斡旋委員会が再開する。ロックアウトは２月４日にはじまり、ロックアウト中止についての仲介斡旋は先週失敗に終わった。ノースアイランド電力会社が架線作業員の生命に影響を及ぼす作業規則の変更を引き続き求めたことがその原因。 
トップエネルギー社はEPMUの要求する５％の賃上げを受け入れたが、仲介/斡旋委員会を通じて労働者に示した譲歩案はこの賃上げを下回るものであった。EPMUはトップエネルギー評議会議長ブライアン・トーバンに公正な協約案の提示を求める書簡を送るよう国内外の労働組合に協力を要請している。トーバン議長のeーメールアドレスは<a href="mailto:b.thorburn@xtra.co.nz">b.thorburn@xtra.co.nz</a>.。 
 
ニューヨークで開催された国際労働問題会議 
２月９日から１１日にかけて、ICEM加盟労組ＵＳＷ（全米鉄鋼労連）を含む米国労働組合とコーネル大学内にあるニューヨーク州労使関係研究所との共催で、国際労働問題会議が開かれた。この会議では多様な問題に関する分科会が開かれ、ネットワーク活動をしている５５０人のグローバル労働組合リーダーと労働問題研究者が参加した。
ある分科会に参加したロシアのICEM加盟労組のロシア化学労組国際局長ヴラジミール・トリブンスキーは、世界規模の連帯の重要性を強調した。彼は、化学企業のヘンケルが2002年にロシアの３工場で敵対的労使関係を開始した時、いかに労働争議が回避され、ドイツのIGBCEとともに永続的団結のプログラムを策定したことを詳しく説明した。ロシア化学労組のアレキサンダー・シトノフ会長も、プロクター＆ギャンブルが正規雇用のフルタイム労働者を解雇して代わりに短期契約労働者を雇った時、同様にICEMとIGBCEから支援を得たことについて報告した。このアメリカの家庭用化学製品メーカーに対して契約労働の使用を中止するようプレッシャーがかけられたが、会社側はマンパワー社やケリーサービス社などの派遣会社を使って契約/派遣労働者を導入している。ロシア化学労組は現在これらの派遣会社の労働者の組織化活動を展開している。 
また同会議では、元USW会長のジョージ・ベッカーのリーダーシップとブリヂストンタイヤ工場のスト期間中の闘争における貢献について特別の賛辞が呈された。さらにＵＳＷ副会長のジム・ロバートソンも、ジョージ・ベッカーに感動的賛辞を述べた。ＵＳＷ会長のレオ・ジェラルドはそのスピーチの中で、米国最大の産別労組が運営するICEMグローバル労組ネットワークへの留意を喚起し、「我々はすでに６つのグローバルアライアンスを外国の労働組合と形成した。我々は経営側との対応の関連において、このような国境を越えたネットワークの強化を図っているところである。」と述べた。 
 
南アNUM女性部会会議 
南アフリカ全国鉱山労組 (NUM)女性部会会議が2月16日－18日にかけて開かれ、500人の代議員が参加した。参加代議員は、全国リーダーシップチームの選出、職場活動計画の採択、および５月に開催されるNUM定期大会に提出する簡潔かつ具体的な活動計画の策定を行った。 また南ア労働鉱物エネルギー大臣のリンディウィ・ヘンドリックス、COSATU 第二副会長のバイオレット・セボネ及びANC 女性リーグ書記長のテンバ・クガシなどの著名な女性がこの会議でスピーチを行った。 
NUM女性部会は1998年に創設され、その後はナショナルレベル及び国際レベルの女性リーダーシップの登竜門的存在となった。「NUMの女性は、これをするようにと指示される段階を卒業しました。組合の活動方針に女性の声を反映させるべく、力強く自己の立場を守ってきました。」とNUM女性部会議長のローザ・モハレは述べた。

ICEM InBrief

Whereas, nine trade unions from eight countries met in Brussels on March 22 and 23 to discuss common problems faced by workers at DuPont Company, a multinational chemical company headquatered in the U.S.
Whereas, this meeting was organized in cooperation with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions, representing 20 million workers throughout the world; 
 
Whereas, the following unions were present at the meeting: 
<ul>
 <li>Gewerkschaft der Chemiearbeiter &Ouml;sterreichs (Austria) </li>
 <li>La Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale/FGTB (Belgium) </li>
 <li>LBC-NVK/CSC (Belgium) </li>
 <li>CNQ-CUT (Brazil) </li>
 <li>3F (Denmark) </li>
 <li>FCE-CFDT (France) </li>
 <li>IG BCE (Germany) </li>
 <li>FNV Bondgenoten (Netherlands) </li>
 <li>USW (USA) </li>
</ul>
Whereas, there was a free and open discussion among the trade unions present and a full exchange of opinions and ideas; 
 
Whereas, the key issues addressed by the trade unionists included 
<ul>
 <li>the out-sourcing of DuPont&rsquo;s human resource functions; </li>
 <li>growing concern about worker and community exposure to PFOA (C8) from Teflon-related chemicals; </li>
 <li>lack of full company reporting of accidents; </li>
 <li>company support of union-busting in the United States, and </li>
 <li>the lack of a business strategy or an adequate response for dealing with redundancies in Europe at DuPont&rsquo;s performance coating business; </li>
</ul>
Therefore be it resolved that all of the trade unions present at the meeting hereby form the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers to share information and develop strategies to protect DuPont workers and the communities where the live; 
 
Be it further resolved that the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers invites other trade unions to become members; 
 
Be it further resolved that the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers will exist to exchange information and to coordinate trade union strategy to address ongoing problems at DuPont.

Resolution from the ICEM Global Union Network of DuPont workers

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ongoing protests across Thailand seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were joined last week by thousands of public utilities&rsquo; workers, taking personal leave to march in the streets. Unions at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and other state utility enterprises encouraged workers to join the protests on 13 and 14 March, with senior level EGAT managers assisting by granting all requests for leave from workers. 
<img height="464" src="" width="300" alt="" />
The State Enterprise Relations Confederation, made up of these public service labour unions, called a general assembly on the same days, in efforts to get workers to participate in protests. 
A mass rally was held at Sanam Luang, Monday, 13 March, continuing into the next day when 100,000 people marched on the Government House to present a petition demanding Thaksin&rsquo;s resignation. The workers and the utility unions of Thailand are also using the protests to demand an end to Thaksin-led efforts to privatise the state enterprises, a major undercurrent leading to the call for the billionaire&rsquo;s resignation.

Thai Public Utility Unions March Against Thaksin

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) affiliated workers demonstrated in South Africa on April 4, protesting against potential plans by DeBeers to close its Koffiefontein mine in the southern Free State.
Handing a memorandum to the management of the mine, the workers were given a promise by the employer that they would be answered. According to the NUM Chairperson, Joseph Botile, closing the mine would mean making Koffiefontein into a ghost town. DeBeers is virtually the only employer in the area, providing income for almost 600 people and their families. With all these jobs gone, it would become impossible for the NUM Workers to support their families.

South African NUM Workers Demonstrate at DeBeers Koffiefontein Mine

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On April 26, 20 years will have past since the largest nuclear disaster the world has ever seen. On that day in 1986, in what now is the country of Ukraine, a deadly explosion inside Chernobyl&rsquo;s reactor No. 4 led to the release of a radioactive cloud that spread across large parts of the Soviet Union. A number of countries in Europe were also affected, but to a much lesser extent. Today, 20 years later, it is still difficult to identify the exact damage of the radioactive fallout. 
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, the Soviet Union, with the help of the international community, poured in a lot of money to build the infrastructure needed to minimise the immediate adverse effects of the catastrophe, mainly through sealing off the damaged reactor. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
As years went by, however, it became clear that, where funding was still available for infrastructural work, there was less and less money to take care of the power station workers and others who had gone into the affected area to do the actual work. A large number of these workers, all members of ICEM affiliate Atomprofspylka, the Ukrainian Nuclear Power Workers&rsquo; Union, gave their lives fighting the disaster, or subsequently died within months or years. For those who survived, the situation is bleak today with little or no job security and a largely indifferent government. 
The anniversary of Chernobyl comes two days before the international Workers Memorial Day on 28 April, when trade unions everywhere commemorate workers who have lost their lives in workplace accidents.

Chernobyl 20 Years after

To: All ICEM affiliates in Nepal 
 
Brussels, 12 April 2006 
 
Dear friends and colleagues, 
 
Ever since the illegitimate takeover of power by King Gyanendra in February 2005, the ICEM has been closely following the courageous efforts of its affiliated trade unions and others in Nepal. We are proud to have been able to support you and other trade unions as you have staged and taken part in the many demonstrations and protests actions against the king&rsquo;s autocratic rule. 
 
As we follow the unfolding events of the present time, we look in disbelief at how the so-called government in Nepal clings on to power using a wide range of brutal measures which seem to be installed specifically to hurt its own people. 
 
The ICEM strongly protests against the many arrests in Nepal that have taken place over the last few days, including the many arrests of both ordinary trade union members as well as trade union leaders. We also condemn the increasing violence used against the people of Nepal. We forcefully support the actions of the independent trade unions in Nepal as part of the broader struggle for the restoration of democracy. 
 
In name of the 20 million members of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions from 122 countries, I would like you to congratulate you on your actions so far and let you know that we are firmly with you and the Nepalese people in your united struggle against the royal oppression during this strike and beyond. 
 
In Solidarity! 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter of support for Nepalese affiliates

In the latest example of the appaling series of human and trade union rights violations in Colombia, the ICEM has learned of the murder of brother Daniel Cortez Cortez, a member of ICEM&rsquo;s Colombian affiliate Sintraelecol. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On Sunday April 2nd, brother Cortez was murdered in Puerto Parra, near the city of Barrancabermeja, the third largest city in Colombia, in a region known to be controlled by the paramilitaries. For the last 16 years, he has been working for the energy company Empresa Electrificadora de Santander, where he had been an active trade union member from the day he started. 
 
Daniel Cortez was assassinated at night on April 2nd. Attacked by a group of paramilitaries, he died instantly when he was shot in the face. He leaves behind a wife and four children and the ICEM offers its sincere&nbsp;condolences to his family, colleagues and friends. 
 
In a <a href="/index.php?id=26&amp;doc=1756&amp;la=EN">letter to the Colombian authorities</a>, the ICEM calls for an urgent, full and open investigation into the exact circumstances of this brutal assassination. Those responsible for the crime need to be brought to justice and convicted. 
 
The murder is, regrettably, not a stand alone case. Far more trade unionists are murdered in Colombia every year then anywhere else in the world. According to preliminary figures, over 70 murders on trade unionists were counted last year. In 2004, there were at least 99. 
 
&ldquo;This murder can not be just another addition to an already lengthy list. We need to keep realising that every time a trade unionist is killed in Colombia, a new tragedy unfolds. Each time, new families, other colleagues and different communities are faced with the loss of a family member, a colleague or a friend&rdquo; said Fred Higgs, General Secretary of the ICEM. &ldquo;It is imperative that we continue our demands on the Colombian government for effective protection for trade unionists in Colombia.&rdquo;

Member of Sintraelecol, ICEM Affiliate in Colombia, murdered

Meeting in Istanbul on 6 and 7 April, delegates at the ICEM&rsquo;s 3rd World Conference for the Rubber Industries ended two days of discussions and information exchange on Friday with the adoption of a plan for action. 
<img height="120" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Topics at the conference included current world-wide trends in the rubber industries, one of the most oligopolistic industrial sectors, and their effect on workers, as well as the need for multinational companies to guarantee respect for national and international workers&rsquo; rights. The conference was attended by over 100 representatives from 16 ICEM affiliated rubber sector trade unions from 14 countries. 
 
At the conference, two special resolutions were adopted. The first one dealt with the recently announced Goodyear plant closures in the UK and Poland, declaring international solidarity support towards the Goodyear workers in those countries. 
<img height="213" alt="" src="" width="390" />
The second resolution calls on Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli to &ldquo;exert common sense and to bargain in good faith&rdquo; with Turkey&rsquo;s ICEM affiliate Lastik-Iş. These three companies take a very harsh approach to collective bargaining in Turkey. They are not only demanding concessions in working conditions, they have also consistently called on the Turkish government to ban strikes, while simultaneously threatening to leave the country. 
 
The conference adopted an action plan for the next four years, setting out broad guidelines for international trade union action at both national and international level. An important priority in the action plan is the need for continued and improved dialogue with multinational companies in the rubber sector, including through global framework agreements and global trade union networks. Special emphasis also goes to health and safety issues. 
Other priority areas are the difficulties related to the increased use of contract and agency labour and the fight for gender equality. 
 
Leo Gerard, International President of ICEM&rsquo;s US affiliate USW (United Steelworkers), was re-elected as Chair of the ICEM rubber section. 
 
Speaking at the conclusion of the conference, ICEM general secretary Fred Higgs said that &ldquo;The discussions, resolutions and adoption of a forward looking action plan by the conference demonstrates that unions around the world in the rubber sector are determined to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing industry on the basis of mutual support and solidarity&rdquo;. 
 
 

For the resolution on the Goodyear plant closings in the UK and Poland, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;doc=1754&amp;la=EN">click here</a>. 
 
For the resolution on collective bargaining in Turkey, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;doc=1750&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.&nbsp;
For more information on this conference, including background documents and presentations, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.

ICEM’s World Rubber Conference Reacts to the Challenges of Globalisation

BAE, Kang-wook 
President 
Korean Chemical and Textile Workers Federation (KCTF) 
Third floor, Woosung Building 
94-14 Yeongdeungpo-dong 7-ga 
Yeongdeungpo 
Seoul 150-037 
SOUTH KOREA 
 
by fax: + 82-2-26.32.47.55 
by&nbsp;e-mail: <a href="mailto:kctfim@hanmail.net">kctfim@hanmail.net</a> 

Dear Sisters and Brothers of KCTF-KCTU in Korea, 
 
We are informed by the ICEM that your union has been, since 2004, the victim of an anti-union repression by GS Caltex, and that you now have decided to launch a boycott campaign against GS Caltex products in Korea. This letter is meant to offer our union&rsquo;s support and encouragement in your courageous fight against the unfair labor practices by GS Caltex. 
 
We understand that some 30 union leaders at GS Caltex have been dismissed in August 2004 and that eight have faced criminal charges for carrying out their legitimate union duties. It is clear that GS Caltex wanted to punish these dedicated trade unionists, as well as the KCFT-KCTU itself, for its trade union actions. This behavior by the company is abhorrent and far from what can and should be expected in developed and civilized nations. GS Caltex needs to start bargaining in good-faith. 
 
It is also deplorable that the South Korean Government has collaborated with the management of GS Caltex by assisting in the suppression of reasonable union demands through dispatching anti-riot police units and arresting union members. 
 
We salute KCFT-KCTU for undertaking this brave struggle in defense of basic trade union rights, particularly the fight for freedom of association. Please know that the members and leaders of our union stand firmly with you in your pursuit of justice and dignity. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
 
(Name) 
(Title) 
(Union)

Model Letter of Support to KCTF

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